Welcome to Bay Disposal & Recycling, the self-appointed environmental wards of Hampton Roads. We work hard each week picking up solid waste and recyclables for the residents of coastal Virginia and Corolla, NC. This week, as the weather warms and the sun shines bright, our thoughts turn to summer and days spent on the beach.

Let’s Get Sunny.

You may have heard of Hawaii’s recent ban on Oxybenzone, a common ingredient in sunscreens. There’s been a lot of media hype, and a lot of inaccurate reporting, so we’re here to set the record straight. It’s possible to protect yourself from sunburn while also protecting our environment, oceans, and specifically, our Coral Reefs.

What is Oxybenzone?

Oxybenzone is a chemical which absorbs ultraviolet light by way of “chemical filters.” According to the Center for Disease Control & Prevention (CDCP), approximately 65% of sunblocks include this ingredient, and up to 14,000 tons annually end up in our oceans & reefs.

What Damage Does Oxybenzone Sunscreen Cause to Coral Reefs?

Coral reefs are invaluable ecosystems thriving beneath the surface of earth’s oceans. They are referred to occasionally as “rainforests of the sea” due to the massive diversity of marine life which resides within them (25% of all marine species).

Besides this immensely important role in our ecosystem, coral reefs also protect land and property from damaging storms and floods, as well as wetlands, ports, and harbors.

Oxybenzone sunblock washes off our skin and into the water each year, floating around the ocean’s currents and settling into coral reefs, where they can cause major damage:

• Bleaching of beautiful, vibrant color
• Leaching of vital nutrients
• Ultimately, starvation/suffocation of coral reef

And you put this product on your skin.

What Does Oxybenzone Sunscreen to do ME?

Certain additive chemicals help chemical sunscreens stick to your skin … and absorb into it. Because of this, levels of Oxybenzone have been detected in:

• Skin
• Blood stream
• Breast milk of pregnant/nursing women
• Potential hormone disruption

Protect Your Skin & The World

Don’t worry, you don’t have to choose between sunburn and killing coral reefs. There are lots of eco-friendly mineral sunscreens which skip the harmful, toxic chemicals in favor of titanium oxide or zinc oxide.

We encourage you to share this article, or just its message, with everyone you know. One person can make such a difference with their personal choices—imagine if your entire social network united in this one small thing. You could save the world.

Commit to a sunny summer for all, coral reefs included.

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